Several political organizations oppose it.. Increasing calls for popular resistance in Sudan Policy

Khartoum – As days pass, the voices and crowds calling for activating the popular resistance option are increasing Sudan To face Rapid Support Forces Accused of committing “massive violations against civilians” in the areas it “occupies” after fighting or the army’s withdrawal from them.

Over the course of days, Sudanese cities witnessed several massive, heavily armed human gatherings declaring their readiness to confront the Rapid Support Forces and to support the army in the war against the Rapid Support Forces, which has been going on for nearly 9 months.

Unknown parties called for organizing large crowds yesterday, Monday, under the name “Sudan Flood,” for mobilization and mobilization, and the cities of Gedaref andKassala East, Al-Manaqil in the middle of the country, and Al-DabbahMarawi Further north, similar clusters.

These gatherings enjoy remarkable support from supporters of the former regime, and are encouraged by tribal leaders and civil administrations, while they are opposed by political organizations that see them as a prelude to a civil war that will be difficult to control.

What you can take from Al-Burhan’s speech is that popular resistance and military confrontation are the only way to victory over the rebel militias.
This is the bottom line: there is no negotiation with mercenaries or any such type, as it only legitimizes it, in addition to being a waste of time and effort.

– Dr. Taj Al-Sir Othman (@tajalsserosman) December 31, 2023

satisfaction

These developments come against the backdrop of what was described as “horrific acts of violence” in the state of Al-Jazira after the Rapid Support Forces took control of it late last December, forcing thousands of residents to flee. Citizens in several neighborhoods complained of a siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces and prevented them from leaving after “Luring them” by providing food aid, money and protection.

Rapid Support officials do not deny these accusations, and say that the perpetrators are “unruly groups” who are being immediately pursued and punished.

It seems that the calls for popular resistance were met with satisfaction by the army, as its commander, head of the Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General, indicated Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan – In his speech on the occasion of the anniversary of independence on Sunday night – he indicated that the road map to achieve peace must include “the exit of the rebel militia from Al-Jazira State and from the rest of the cities of Sudan, as was agreed upon in the Jeddah Declaration, with the return of all looted funds and property of citizens and government movables, and the evacuation of citizens’ homes.” and government headquarters.

He added, “Any ceasefire that does not guarantee what was mentioned will be of no value. An incomplete peace will not be acceptable. The people have spoken and organized into the ranks of the resistance to defeat this aggression.”

On the other hand, Rapid Support Commander Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo warned (My praise) In his speech yesterday, Monday, during the alert operations, he said that his forces are determined and capable of pursuing what he called “the coup plotters on alert who are beating the drums of war.”

He continued, “After 9 months of continuous military victories and the defeat of the enemy in… Khartoum AndDarfur AndKordofan And Al Jazeera, they must acknowledge publicly that they have lost this war and failed in it, and they must stop being on alert, fighting, and destroying the country, and paving the way for ending the war and starting the political process.”

The Sudanese people, whose property was looted, whose facilities were destroyed, and who were subjected to killing, displacement, and all kinds of injustice, under the eyes of the world, have nothing to fear, and will not allow the Dagalo militia to be a part of their future history, whatever the results.#Sudan #Sudanese_Popular_Resistance #Khartoum pic.twitter.com/t6kcURUkaK

— AbdElbdie Osman (@AbdbdeaaOsman) January 1, 2024

New player

Commenting on these developments, the politician and academic Naji Mustafa Badawi says that the popular resistance is “a new and heavy player that has entered the arena,” as it is characterized by independence and supports the armed forces and organizes with them, but it will choose confrontation and boldness in all circumstances, and will prevent violations and displacement.

In his interview with Al Jazeera Net, Badawi downplayed warnings about the resistance preparing a civil war by confirming that the promoters of these ideas are politicians who follow the Forces of Freedom and Change, which he describes as “agents of the rebellion,” and they have understandings with them to share power with them if they win.

He added, “These political forces fear that the rebellion will collapse in the face of popular resistance, and what the rebellion is doing cannot be described as anything other than a comprehensive and ethnic war because it targets people, the environment, the economy, history, and food and water security.”

On the other hand, the spokesman for the Eastern Sudan Civil Forces Alliance, Saleh Ammar, speculates about the failure of the popular resistance, and in his speech to Al Jazeera Net – he recalls the war alert campaign led by elements of the former regime before the outbreak of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in mid-April, when they announced the readiness of 200 A recruit to partner with Sudanese armed forces“But after the first shot was fired, they disappeared and their leadership hid.”

He says that the advocates of the current popular resistance “are elements of the former regime and members of the National Congress that ruled Sudan for 30 years and created rapid support.”

Ammar asserts that the goals of this resistance “are to spread chaos because they see the expansion of the Rapid Support Forces over large areas and do not want them to take over power,” pointing out the danger of “throwing young people into an unequal battle with trained and qualified forces that have high armament capabilities and combat experience.”

In turn, former Sovereignty Council member and leader of the Freedom and Change movement, Muhammad Al-Faki, refuses to support calls for popular resistance, saying that it is “a call for truth that seeks falsehood,” and is fed mainly by the fears of civilians whose state has left them without protection in the face of widespread violations. He believes that the mobilization speech is essentially the origin of the war, “because the entire operation is run by the remnants of the former regime.”

Al-Faki, in a post on the “X” platform, called on the armed forces to issue a clear statement regarding the arming steps currently underway, and who is carrying them out? How will this weapon be collected in the future? He added, “What is happening now confirms that stopping the war is a duty that cannot be postponed before we reach the stage of comprehensive civil war.”

“death sale”

In eastern Sudan, tribes in an area declared… Fashqa border with Ethiopia The popular resistance launched, and organized a large crowd this week. Eid al-Zein, the head of the Lahwein tribe, addressed him and said that the “grave violations” committed by the support forces were the motive for the exit.

Al-Nazir announced that 20,000 of the tribe’s youth would offer what he called the battle of dignity and defense of the homeland and the East. He also offered the “Death Pledge” to the army commander, Bassem Al-Lahwin, in Sudan. He stressed that popular resistance is what will decide the battle.

The Executive Director of Al-Fashqa Locality, Ezz El-Din Al-Imam, confirms – to Al-Jazeera Net – the launch of the popular resistance from the border region with Ethiopia, saying that it had previously fought and fought military battles to recover the region from the Ethiopians after 25 years of its occupation.

Officials in the Gedaref government announced the continued opening of the camps, popular resistance, mobilization, and the provision of weapons and advanced combat training through the state government and the Security Committee. Yesterday, Monday, Gedaref witnessed a large gathering of resistance supporters.

Political analyst Al-Tahir Satti believes that the resistance that has reached the implementation stage is a popular reaction to what the “militia” (Rapid Support) did in the areas where it was deployed. He sees it as a “natural birth” with spontaneous patriotic support from all the people of Sudan after recovering from the horror of the shock, stressing the inability of any political or organizational front to adopt it, as it is “the people’s bitter anger,” as he puts it.

Sati speaks – to Al Jazeera Net – that the majority of Sudanese youth were trained in weapons through the National Service and the Popular Defense, and now they are training in the mobilization camps administered by the Armed Forces, and he sees in this resistance a popular campaign that serves as an antidote to the “militia” campaign that mobilizes its members inside and then brings in the “Arabs of the diaspora.” From outside Sudan, specifically from Chad AndLibya AndNiger AndCentral Africa.

He says, “When the people felt this foreign invasion, they rose to repel the aggression, as it was a war against a militia supported by Arab and African countries.”

The young man, Ahmed Mujahid – who decided to take up arms and join the popular resistance – considers it a good opportunity to defend his region and his people in the northern state. He told Al Jazeera Net that he volunteered for the resistance after the expansion of the Rapid Support Forces and the increase in their attacks on cities, “and what its members do of killing, looting, and attacks on defenseless citizens.”

Despite his rejection of the opinion that speaks of a harbinger of civil war, Mujahid expresses some fears about the matter and the transformation of the resistance into a process of revenge against the different Sudanese races and races.

“political consumption”

Political analyst Muhammad Idris Al-Naim believes that resisting the war consists in stopping it instead of expanding it, which would lead to the division of Sudan along ethnic and regional lines in light of the growth of hate speech and calls for racism on all platforms “led by supporters and media figures of the former regime.”

Al-Naim told Al Jazeera Net that the number of mobilized personnel is unknown, and that the parties that supplied them with weapons are unknown, which makes the circulation of numbers about them vulnerable to political consumption.

Retired Brigadier General Al-Tayeb Najm Al-Din made veiled accusations against the army commanders of failing to manage the battle with the Rapid Support Forces. He considered – in his speech to Al Jazeera Net – that popular resistance is a good idea whose conditions are not available at the present time with the state of severe polarization that dominates the Sudanese scene, warning of the consequences of arming Sudanese society under these circumstances.

He said that the ambiguity surrounding the arming process and who is supervising it other than the Sudanese Armed Forces is a matter of both doubt and fear, because the process is currently being carried out by state governments and their governors in a guise covered by the political agendas of a particular group leading this campaign.